be a Priest upon his Throne Christ a Priest Psal 110.4 and the Counsel of peace shall be between them both Here is the glorious Conjunction of the two Supreme Dignities the Kingdom and the Priesthood in Christs most excellent Person The Prophetical Office saith learned Pemble is not mentioned which it may be is but an Appendix of his Priesthood What is meant by these words Between them both some between the Jews and Gentiles this I like not some between Zerubbabel the Prince and Joshua the Priest But 1. Here is no mention of Zerubbabel 2. Both the Crowns were set upon Joshuah's head ver 11. 3. The Branch ver 12. was to sit on the Throne and rule De Dieu I see differs from all he shall sit and rule upon his Throne he will not have it translated super thronum suum but super thronum ejus by ejus meaning Jehovah So by them both or those two he understands the Branch and Jehovah But what then is meant by the Counsel of peace he doth not interpret Cor. a Lapide thus Either saith he between both the Thrones the Kingly power and Priesthood or the Prince and the Priest q. d. In Christ shall be the greatest consent and concord between the Prince sitting upon his Kingly Throne and the Priest sitting upon his Pontifical Throne because he shall be both and shall conjoyn both the Dignity of the Pristhood and Kingdom in himself This is something but not enough Mr. Pemble better Counsel of Peace an allusion to the former government of the Jews State wherein the King and Priest several Officers did take counsel one with and of another for the maintenance of peace and prosperity in the Church and State Now likewise the Churches peace should be wrought though not by two several persons yet by vertue of two several offices meeting in one Christ purchasing all peace to his Church by his Priesthood and maintaining and defending it by his Kingdom the effect which the conjunction of both Thrones and Offices in Christ doth produce is peace and reconciliation with God with safety and deliverance from our spiritual enemies thus Mr. Pemble agreeing with Junius To these I shall only add Diodati and no more These two offices in Christ shall perfectly agree one with another though they seem to be very different the one having the administration of Justice to command and punish the other of mercy to expiate and pardon but Christ shall expiate and pardon that he may be obeyed when he commands Psal 130.4 having brought men again into Gods favour to make them receive his Spirit which enclineth them to a voluntary obedience and shall command in pardoning viz. he shall enact the Law of the Spirit as much or more binding then the literal Law thus he This comes up to what I aimed at in the quotation thus I conceive Peace or reconciliation between persons at distance is not properly made up till both parties be agreed Christ on his Priestly Throne as he offers himself a Sacrifice expiatory to his Father satisfying of his Justice makes up the breach on Gods part Christ on his Kingly Throne delivering us from our spiritual enemies as Mr. Pemble and let me add our enmity against God by giving his Spirit to incline us to voluntary obedience by enacting the Law of the Spirit as Diodati doth heal or make up the breach on our part thus the blessed Counsel of peace is made up of both these Offices in Christ and now it prospers God reconciled to us our wills to his The sum then is Christ sitting on both the Thrones must be received and so trusted to rested upon if peace comprehending all spiritual prosperity as peace among the Hebrews was used to signifie prosperity be ours What Christ upon the Throne ruling doth towards the outward peace of his Church I do not now speak though I am sure the Church shall enjoy outward peace from hence also and that in a glorious manner as yet on the earth but I let that alone this is the peace we most need which I am now upon spirittual inward peace with God and our Consciences Christ sitting upon the Priestly Throne the former Head spake to now I am to speak of Christ sitting and ruling on his Kingly Throne and see whether he be so received Quest But here one Question What is it to receive Christ as Lord Answ B. Davenant on the Text Colos 2.6 thus comments The Colossians and so all true Christians have received Christ the Lord both of their faith and of their life neither will they suffer any rules of Faith or Christian life to be imposed upon them by any other This is a great truth and spoken like a Christian who owned Christ for his Lord only but this doth not take in all whether Christ did make any new Laws added new Commandements is a great question between us and the Socinians I will not at all meddle with it yet I will venture one Argument against Socinus here If Christ be a Law-giver then he is God Jehovah But he is a Law-giver Ergo. That he is a Law-giver Socinus yields The consequence I prove James 4.12 There is One Law-giver c. not two Law-givers One God and Man the other James 2.8 He speaks of the Royal Law given under the old Testament Jehovah gave the Law Christ then as God Jehovah gives the Law binding the Conscience able to save and to destroy as in the Text and so is the Object of Divine worship One only Law giver the Dutch read This I am certain of the receiving of Christ as King as Lord is not meant only of receiving him as a Law-giver as giving Commands to be obeyed and thus it may be many Christians understand it when they hear they must receive Christ as Lord and King that is I must obey his Commands be subject to him which though it be a truth yet if this be all we are but in a sad case we have received Commands enough to sink us considering the vile enmity of our hearts unto them how opposite they are to the holy Commandments we need no more Law-givers or Laws to damn us for breach of them The Question is How shall my vile heart be brought about to obey these holy Commands this blessed King how shall my will ever be made subject to him 2. Therefore Secondly To receive Christ King and Lord under a Covenant of Grace is to receive him not only as a King to give me Laws morally but I receive Jesus my King efficiently to incline my will bow my heart and to enable me to be subject to him and obey his Commandments this is the King under a Covenant of Grace which we chiefly look at and thus I conceive he is chiefly to be looked upon for thus not by giving Laws doth he heal us all his Offices tend to healing to redemption but giving Laws is no healing no redemption they may make our sore worse our
have it yet deny you have saving faith or are a believer Christians should be more careful in their denials Secondly That which all Christians are exhorted to that is a duty belonging to all Christians Exhortation implies a duty I ought to do what I am exhorted to But all Christians are exhorted to be assured of their state in Faith Vnion with Christ 2 Cor. 13.5 Effectual Calling and elation 2 Pet. 1.10 Therefore such Christians as the Question speaks of are bound to conclude and not left to their liberty whether they will conclude or not that Christ and pardon are theirs This also to me is clear that the Apostles giving such charge and exhortations to all the Corinthians and all the believing Jews by their examination self-probation diligence to make sure their calling election that Christ was in them and they in the faith the Apostles did not intend that mens assurances could not be had but by absolute promises and such as a Christian did not think of before set home or applyed by the Spirit in that way which some have found or by revelations secret whispers or what some have mentioned for self-examinations and proving of our selves and our diligence have no efficacy or tendency to produce such an effect that comes that way And it should seem by them as if these evidences or assurances though much differing in their strength and clearness should be more familiar with Christians though not alwayes alike but depending upon our humble and reverent walking with God and meet it is that it should be so that those who would enjoy that comfort should walk sutably to it Object But my duty is terminated in my examination proving of my self whether I conclude or not Answ That is not true you have not proved your self till you have concluded What are you Are you a believer or not Are you in Christ or not or is he in you which is all one This you must know and prove this you are bound to which must be by concluding upon your examination for then hath a man performed his duty in examination when he comes to the end of his examination you are to examine and prove your selves to this end to see whether you are not in the Faith Christ in you that you are called and chosen now you have performed your duty and not till now We will suppose as no doubt but there were such amongst them there were some unbelievers and Christless persons amongst the Corinthians they were bound also to examine and prove themselves now if these did not upon examination and proving themselves conclude themselves to be unbelievers and out of Christ and now look out for sound faith and interest in Christ these persons did not answer their duty nor perform what the exhortation called for though they did examine so on the other side nor did the true believer answer his duty till he concluded he was in the Faith and Christ in him that he was called and chosen Thirdly If Christians ought not to conclude their state accoridng to the Question then examination were a vain thing and Christians called and bound to that which is but a vain duty for there is nothing comes of it God hath given man a rational Soul set up his candle and light within him made able to reflect upon it self try and know what is in himself it is able to draw Conclusions from Premises hence when the Lord sets him upon examination he sets him about a rational work to which he hath fitted and enabled him If by it he be able to see the Minor proposition convinced so as he dare not deny but such a work of faith if this be true faith which you have opened as I am sure it is I do feel in me why then is he not as able and ought he not to infer the Conclusion and so perform the duty of examination which is very profitable and not vain as those Christians make it who can come to the Minor proposition and cannot deny it yet wave the Conclusion when as examination respects the Conclusion and hath not its scope and aim till it determines there Fourthly Rejoycing in the Lord thankfulness and praise are duties to which all Christians are bound the Scripture calls upon them in several places to perform these duties The drawing up this Conclusion upon the formentioned Premises is that which is the ground of all these duties when the Christian can say Christ is mine my sins are forgiven God and I are reconciled this Soul and only this Soul is fitted indeed to perform these duties Let once a Christian have his eyes opened to see and Conscience awakened to make him understand his misery let that man rejoyce in the Lord let his mouth be filled with thanks and praise if he can so long as he cannot tell but God is his enemy and Christ a stranger to him no singing of Sions Songs in Babylon the Harps then hang upon the Willows Not yet in Hell this I acknowledge is matter of thanksgiving to a Christian in this condition but if you name all other things outward in this world take other things in Church as Ordinances Church-priviledges these signifie nothing to him Reprobates and Hypocrites have enough of these such whom God will never love tell him of the Gospel a Redeemer manifested precious Promises the more is my torment saith he that there are such things and I have no part in them Let him have what he will he looks on all unless God be my God and Christ be my Christ and I am his but as husks of mercies and God hath but husks of praises If then Christians be bound to these duties then they are bound to this duty which only qualifies them makes them fit to perform them now the man rejoyceth in God now his high praises are in his mouth now for any mercy outward inward he can give thanks I have it in love I have God and Christ in it yea now for the Rod he can yet rejoyce in the Lord when under it while he seeth it is in his Fathers hand and knows he means him only good Conscience bearing him witness that he hath not broken with God to provoke his anger What advantage this is to all the course of a Christian whether in doing or suffering I do not instance I name only such as depend if not wholly yet chiefly upon this To conclude then since Christians are not left to their liberty to determine or not determine of their states certainly those Christians that upon serious examination of themselves do endeavour 1. Chedientially to draw up the sonclusion I say obedientially in conscience of the duty they owe to God as that person I mentioned before who told her Minister on her death-bed I did believe because I dare do no other 2. Humbly in sense of their own vileness baseness and unworthiness let the things be as great as they will if God will be like himself in
his will none know here is obedience to two contrary wills we must set the Will of God at variance with it self If he will say I ought not to surmise so nor entertain such thoughts or imaginations but reject them and embrace Christ whom I am called to receive I thank him for saying so for then I shall not have any cause for such sinking discouragements and so shall not resist the Will of God by them these sinking discouragements upon such imaginations are properly a resisting of the Will of God revealed in the Gospel as they hinder the Soul from closing with Christ offered c. as before Thirdly If sinking discouragements under these thoughts be a resistance of Gods Will then supporting encouragements under those thoughts that God will never give me his Love Grace but damn me are obedience to his Will the Rule of Contraries will help here Then I request these two Worthies to give us some of these supporters That they do And what I pray are they Be content and quiet though God will never manifest Grace never give you his Love never pity you never succour you though he will give you up to your lusts and damn you yet since he shall have the glory of his power and justice you must be content well apayed satisfied These are the bladders put under our armes to keep us from sinking under these discouragements I fear these bladders are filled with gunpowder as Bishop Ridley's friends gave him to him to help him whether these will help poor Souls I much doubt these Supporters while we lean on them prove Spears rather to run into our very hearts as he said of the Egyptian Reed If one lean on it it will go into his hand and pierce it Isai 36.6 But blessed be the Lord we know better encouragements In Isai 33.14 we read of sinners in Zion crying out Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire Who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings It seems they were terrified with these thoughts but Mr Shepherd would almost make us believe it were a habitable place for sinking discouragements under the thoughts of it when the awakened sinner imagines God will thither send him he calls a resistance of Gods will But O thou blessed Saint who art now got to thy rest in Heaven is it possible for a Soul to entertain these thoughts as his portion and must he set down contented and not sink Sink yea sink and sink and sink again Who can stand under them What is the wrath of the Almighty become a burden supportable that you cry out against sinking discouragements Because Sampson could carry a way the gates of Gaza can every Philistin do it they would break any mans back else Because Christ hath carried the gates of Hell for poor believers can we bear them the thoughts of them and not sink What didst thou mean O gracious Saint to write such words These thoughts once a little while upon occasion of this passage began to take hold of me the little time they lasted made me a little to understand those words concerning Christ Mark 14 33. He began to be sore amazed And what shall I say John 12.27 O what did our blessed sweet Saviour meet with at that time by the very little taste I had a short time I perceived what was in his Cup amazed indeed and not know what to say it is impossible any Soul should live under these thoughts if they seize on him to purpose unless God will make a Monument of him as Spira but to be without sinking distracting discouragements let him that can clear himself from them Quest 2. Whether quiet Contentation under these imaginations or suppositions that God will never give or manifest Grace his Love but leave the Soul under its sin and damn it be a condition requisite to the right preparing of the awakened sinner for Christ I put both Mr. Hooker and Mr. Shepherd into the same Question for though Mr. Shepherd hath not put in the word damn yet he hath done that which amounts to as much for if God will never manifest or give Grace never give his Love never pity or succour leave men under sin all which he hath expressed p. 140 147 154. what is next but damning And Mr. Hooker hath expressed it plainly with these words Content quiet well apayed satisfied I might have stated the Question Whether it were a condition requisite to sound Grace for a sound Christian at any time I think as much at one time as at another but since both of them have put it under preparation and Mr. Hooker hath said there can be no right preparation for Christ nor Faith infused without it therefore I limit it to the work of preparation What I have said to such suppositions and imaginations the Reader may observe before For the Negative I offer these Arguments First Argument That condition which neither Christ himself nor any of his Apostles in their preaching and calling home of Souls to Christ did ever require that condition is not requisite to true preparation for Christ But quiet Contentation under these thoughts that God will never give me his Love Grace c. but damn me is a condition that neither Christ nor any of his Apostles required in their preaching and calling home of Souls to Christ Ergo this condition is not requisite and by consequence ought not to be preached by any Gospel-Minister The Major neither of these holy Men will deny who will acknowledge easily that Christ was faithful in his house as a Son Heb. 3.6 and so were his Apostles as his Ministers they would not omit any thing in their preaching which was requisite and necessary for sound Conversion To imagine the contrary were monstrous impiety For the Minor Let those who will affirm it name the Texts where Christ or any of his Apostles did ever require this condition I will put in the Prophets also name the Texts I pray That there are conditions required by Christ I grant not as putting any worthiness in the person for the conditions make them see their own vileness and unworthiness they all tend to this to make the Soul willing to embrace him that is their end men else will not care for Christ Thus we read of weary laden Matth. 11.28 Sick Matth. 9.12 Lost i. e. sensible of it they see it feel it and know what the state is for all are lost in respect of Adam's fall so were the Pharisees as well as Publicans but they were not sensible of it they could find a way to Heaven to God by their own righteousness and works Luke 19.10 Thirsty John 7.37 Revel 22.17 yea he comes to Whosoever will the same verse if but willing these conditions we find and these conditions may be very well yea have been found in thousands who never heard of such a condition as we are upon Where is this condition expressed as these I have mentioned You that are quietly content
God hath blessed our English Nation abundantly Satan might deal with them as he hath dealt with others before take occasion from some things written to fill some with perplexing thoughts and put others upon some practises in which they shall wurry and tire themselves and when they have done so be never the nearer But I have exceeded already and gone beyond what at first I intended Leaving this work for more able men and well acquainted with varieties of temptations I shall add no more but Blessed be the Lord for the discoveries of the riches of his Grace in a Covenant of Grace Blessed be the Lamb upon whose blood this Covenant is founded and of which he hath undertaken to be the Mediatour and Surety Blessed be that good Spirit that brings our Souls under this Covenant and keeps us in it This is all our salvation this is all our desire Those who can find salvation any where else let them take it But by the faith of this we live in the strength of this will dye FINIS These Books with several others are printed for and to be sold by Dorman Newman at the Chirurgions-Arms in Little Britain near the Hospital-gate Folio THe Exact Politician or Compleat Statesman By Leonard Willan Esquire Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa Or the History of the Cardinals of the Roman Church from the time of their first Creation to the Election of the present Pope Clement the Ninth with a full account of his Conclave Written in Italian by the Auth. of the Nipotismo di Roma Eng. by G. H. A Relation of the Voyage and Residence of Charles II. K. of Great Britain c. in Holland By Sir W. Lower Knight Memoires of the Lives Actions Sufferings and Deaths of those Noble Reverend Personages that suffered for the Protestant Religion and the great Principle thereof By David Lloyd A. M. sometime of Oriel Colledge in Oxon. Mr. Knox his History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland A Treatise of Justification By George Downam D. D. Spencers History of Ireland Brathwaites English Gentleman and Gentlewoman Austins Meditations Review of the Council of Trent Babingtons Works Jermin on the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Quarto THat excellent Piece of Mr. George Swynnocks Christian mans Calling in three Volumes Faiths Universal Usefulness with the excellency of a Spiritual life By Mr. Matthew Lawrence of Ipswich Mr. Elborough's Sermon on the Fire Gospel Remission By Mr. Jer. Burroughs lately extant The Virtue and Value of Baptism By Mr. Zach. Crofton Mr. Durham's Exposition upon the Canticles Doctor Hamptons Sermon before King James Lesley's Sermon tending to Unity Hampton's Three-fold State of man A Serm before K. James Hist of Gentle Craft Dod and Clever on the Commandments Souls Sentinels Spiâ—ers Elogy on Sir Arth. Chester Octavo THe Life of Cardinal Woolsey L. Chanc. of England c. A guide to Ladies Gentlewomen and Maids how to behave themselves in all Estates Relations and Conditions By Hannah Wolley A guide to the true Religion By J. Clapham M. A. The Christians great Interest By W. Guthry late Minister of the Gospel in Scotland The fifth impression Justification only upon a satisfaction or the necessity and verity of the satisfaction of Christ as the alone ground of remission of sin asserted and opened against the Socinians By Rob. Firgirson Minister of the Gospel in London The Pastors Love to a loving People By M. William Thomson Minister of the Gospel in London A Synopsis of Quakarisme or a Collection of the Fundamental Errors of the Quakers With a brief Refutation of them By Thomas Danson sometime Minister of the Gospel in Sandwich in Kent The Laws and Canons drawn up and agreed upon by the General Assembly or Meeting of the Head of the Quakers from all parts of the Kingdom Phanatick Primer for the instruction of little ones in order to perfect reading By H. Adis Rebukes for sin by Gods burning Anger By T. Doolittle The Life of Doctor James Vsher late Arch-bishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland A most comfortable and Christ Dialogue By W. Cooper Spare Minutes or resolved Meditations and premeditated Resolutions By Arthur Warwick Clarissimi Viri Adriani Heereboordi Philosophiae professoris Ordinarii Disputationum de Concursu Examen à Jo Stearne M.D. Institutum ad Amicum suum Jo. Rawlineum An excellent Oration of that Learned J. Raynolds DD. Archers Jests Sejanus Heaths Transubstantiation Owens Epigrams